Do divided workers ever have anything in common?

The AFSCME master agreement proposed for 2023-2025 offered a rare-sized, long overdue pay increase for Minnesota's public employees, and a majority voted to accept, not strike. It was a pay increase for all Minnesota public employees across all units, north, south, east and west, all units and classes, on all steps.

Some expressed loud and angry doubts, apparently to influence the value of voting by thoroughly shaming and discrediting those who negotiated that raise, undermining the election integrity necessary to cast votes.  Yelling up-close, in an intimidating manner, by those who find polling places ideal for sharing unsolicited personal points of view, that is intimidation. An economic divide explains why: as one travels north, out to the the farms and forests, away from suburban wealth centers and luxuries of cosmopolitan living, goods and stable certainties do diminish, precariousness reigns.

Such a large contract raise might never come again, but even so, many complained about the dental quality of this gift horse. Surprisingly, a major part in negotiating for AFSCME is not sheer size of raises, but raises better be proportionate enough in recognizing long, sustained effort at maintaining constant, competent public service performance: seniority.  Overlooking this silent but toxic division darn near turned the biggest state worker raise ever into negotiation incompetence and union graft poison because some 'wrong people' got disproportionate (undeserved) raises. 

There are today more, not less, deadly mortal risks doing jobs related to healthcare directly facing the public. Public employment - sounds risky. Nurses, doctors, first responders, cops - in working overtime can end up sleepless, burned-out, be denied leave, suffer repetitive nightmares about undoable things they did, some unable to forget sights that cannot be unseen. Those who worked through COVID stresses and daily face the grind and wear of the lean times suffer stresses that drain resilience, damage human health and darken hope and reduce trust in both public service and ethical health care.

Minnesota's Governor found another division, remote workers vs. non-remote workers, when he announced a big change in the state's telework policy requiring remote workers to work in-person at employer premises for at least 50% of scheduled workdays beginning June 1, 2025, with an exemption for employees who live more than 75 miles away from their primary work location.  This decision was made without members’ voices at a negotiation table and this is another employer's unilateral decision with unacceptable and disrespectful workplace effect. When non-negotiated COVID pandemic policy edicts shut down the workplace, members sent home then have once again not been brought into policy-making decisions on the front-end.

AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen said:

"Let me be perfectly clear: as Executive Director of AFSCME Council 5, representing more than 18,000 state employees, we will not tolerate unilateral changes to our members’ work. The Administration’s decision to impose sweeping workplace policy changes without engaging our union and labor partners first is not just unacceptable—it’s an act of blatant disrespect. Our union members must have and deserve a seat at the table every step of the way. We are demanding full transparency and meaningful dialogue immediately. AFSCME Council 5, alongside our fellow labor union partners, will do whatever it takes to defend our members’ rights, safeguard their ability to work safely and effectively, and continue delivering high-quality public services for all Minnesotans."

https://lowwagelifestyle.blogspot.com/2024/12/chatgpt-can-make-mistakes-...